


Beyond the Blue

by Wafflesrock



Series: Riptides [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adventures, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, F/M, Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Knotting, Magic, Sequel, Turians as mermaids, shakarian in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:40:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24930199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wafflesrock/pseuds/Wafflesrock
Summary: The sequel to Fathomless Depths; Married for a year and working closely together, merian Garrus Vakarian and Commander Jane Shepard are sent to investigate reports of sea monsters in the Volus territory of Irune. What they discover will have dire effects on both the land and ocean races, as they and the rest of the Normandy crew and merian army face off against a deadly threat believed long gone.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Series: Riptides [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708807
Comments: 80
Kudos: 45





	1. The Abomination

The polar seas of Irune churned with krill and plankton, a thick, frigid slurry that tugged at fins and coated scales. Even in late spring, ice flows mottled the surface, while beneath the waves glaciers creaked and groaned as they thawed with the strengthening sun.

Garrus pulled his sealskin cloak tighter about his person. His mind was focused on the task at hand, even as he continuously flared his mandibles against the biting cold. These waters might be a haven for the volus, but for a merian, they were an arctic hell. 

The volus were penguin herders who split their time between the iceberg choked ocean and snow strewn shores. They flourished in the near permanent freeze, bundled in feathers, skins, and furs, as at home beneath the waves as the flocks they attended.

Their seas were too cold for permanent merian outposts. During the summer when the ice pack retreated, scouts would investigate and report any changes or resources of note. But they always returned before the biting jaws of fall, with ice nipping at their tail fins. 

It was considered the  _ worst _ assignment in the merian military. No matter how intense the sun’s rays, the waves always retained an uncomfortable chill. Even after integrating into the Council and taking an active role in oceanic politics, merians were loath to traverse Irune’s waters. 

Being promoted to the rank of  _ Commander  _ really didn’t seem so glamorous given his current assignment, Garrus mused. An aggrieved growl stuttered in his chest. 

An albatross carrying a scroll from the volus chief had landed on the  _ Normandy _ three days earlier. The letter pleaded for Council assistance with something  _ horrifying _ the volus had discovered frozen in a glacier. The exact nature of the discovery was noticeably vague. 

The  _ Normandy _ had been forced to turn back by heavy ice flows. Not built to sustain bludgeoning or gouging by glaciers, their merian escort had pressed on alone. 

“This water is freezing,” an older merian commented. “What’s the human phrase? A frozen hell-hole?” 

Garrus hummed in annoyance. Lorik Qui’in had proven to be an invaluable asset when it came to resource allocation and patrol discipline. The amber eyed merian was, however, a man accustomed to certain luxuries. Warm, tropical waters being one of those. 

“Do you think it’ll be colder near the island?” Lorik wondered aloud, adjusting his sealskin cape. “I cannot imagine bare rock holding much warmth.”

_ “Quiet, Qui’in.” _ Garrus admonished subvocally. The old man’s bitching was starting to rub off on the rest of the envoy and the last thing Garrus wanted was to listen to muttered complaints for the remainder of their journey to the volus capital. 

Thankfully, Lorik kept his mouth shut and after what felt like a lifetime of plowing through the heavy waters, the rocky sea floor rolled up beneath them. Their arrival was heralded by the squawks and cries of thousands of penguins, their sleek, black and white bodies leaving trails of bubbles in their wake as they soared beneath the surf. 

The water smelled like guano and Garrus watched Lorik gag in revulsion as a passing penguin shit upstream from him. Garrus felt like he wanted to crawl out of his plates. _Where's the fucking volus chieftain we're meeting?_

Up ahead, the squat, round forms of the volus finally bobbed into view. They were heavily layered in penguin pelts, heads adorned with crowns made from seashells and brightly polished stones. Garrus could barely make out the bulbous, yellow eyes from beneath their trappings. The most ornately decorated of the bunch swam up to him. 

_ “Tsk,”  _ the chieftain slurped. “Greetings, Palaven-clan. I am Din Korlack, leader of the majestic Irune tribe.” He gestured stubby, kelp-bound fingers at the other volus behind him. “Welcome to our shores. Your haste in this matter is most appreciated.” 

“Yes, well,” Garrus cleared his throat trying not to think about the particulate floating around him that seemed distinctly _penguin_ in origin. “Your message made it seem like your discovery required immediate Council attention.”

_ “Tsk, _ it does! This find requires Council aid to remove the abomination from our island,” Din assured, body shivering, though Garrus got the impression not from the cold. 

“Abomination?” Lorik questioned from behind. “What abomination?”

_ “Tsk, _ if you’ll follow us Palaven-clan, we will show you.” The small volus turned, propelling himself away in the same manner as the penguins. 

_ Anywhere is better than this toilet, _ Garrus thought, as he followed the chieftain along the shore-line before striking out into open water. They swam several miles before they reached a gigantic mountain of ice, towering above the rolling waves. 

“Boro glacier,” Din said, before launching himself out of the water and onto the ice. 

The glacier rocked gently with the current but was otherwise anchored securely in place. Garrus glanced at Lorik and the rest of his envoy before digging claws into the thick, brilliant blue ice and hauling himself up. 

_ “Tsk, _ over here,” the chieftain waved from several yards ahead. 

Garrus grunted. He had a vial of Selkie Serum tucked into his cowl, but the idea of being marooned on the giant ice stack in the middle of a freezing ocean for two hours didn’t sound appealing whatsoever. Pushing up onto his hands, he used his tail to scoot forward, feeling awkward and exceedingly out of place. 

As he came to join Din and the other volus gathered around the ice sheet, he immediately saw what the chieftain had been referring to when he mentioned an  _ abomination. _

The creature looked like an eldritch horror from the abyssal plain. Barbed, vulcan red skin was pulled taut over a muscular, shark-like body. A cadaver grin of razor-sharp teeth protruded from extended jaws while lidless, charcoal eyes gazed lifelessly out of a skull that seemed an amalgamation of a goblin shark and a krogan. 

“What  _ is  _ that thing?” Lorik asked with unconcealed revulsion. 

_ “Tsk, _ we don’t know,” Din replied. “But see, the ice it’s encased behind is thin. Unnaturally thin. If this creature had been here for years - or even weeks - someone would have noticed.”

“Are you saying someone, somehow, put this thing here recently?” Garrus asked, tearing his eyes away from the creature to stare at the volus chief. 

_ “Tsk _ , yes.” Din nodded, pointing to striations in the ice around the dead thing. “The ice around it looks like it was melted and then refrozen. This creature was somehow branded into the glacier for us to find, there’s no other explanation.”

A subvocal murmur rippled through the merians positioned behind him. Who - or more precisely,  _ what  _ \- was capable of magic on this scale? The Ivory Wizard was gone, Garrus was certain of that. But this mutant’s presence raised an entire litany of questions. 

_ “Tsk, _ how do you propose to carry it with you?” Din inquired.

“What do you mean _ ‘carry it with us?’ _ We’re not bringing that thing back to the  _ Normandy _ _!”_ Garrus said, staring stupefied at the small volus. 

“It can’t stay here,” Din said authoritatively, crossing his stumpy arms. “Perhaps we could cut it out in a cube and you could haul it away?”

“Are you insane?” Lorik scoffed. “The warmer water will melt the ice it's encapsulated in and then we’d be left with that vile corpse to drag!”

“And it’d rot on the  _ Normandy _ deck.” Garrus concluded, trying to imagine Jane’s expression at having the dead nightmare onboard. 

_ “Tsk _ , your Council will want to see it,” Din countered. “Regardless of condition.”

“I think a detailed report will suffice,” Garrus replied. He glanced back at the monster trapped beneath a glittering sheen of ice before sighing. “If your people can cut it out, we’ll drag it into deeper water and weigh it down. Let it sink into the trenches.”

_ “Tsk, _ that is acceptable.” Din readily agreed, gesturing to a pair of volus to get to work. 

Lorik grumbled something under his breath about the volus being more than capable of handling this themselves, but in the end, assisted in pulling the carved out ice cube into deep, open water, beyond Irune’s borders. 

Using large boulders and thickly braided kelp rope, Garrus watched the creature sink into the eternal pitch of the ocean trench. “We’re returning to the  _ Normany _ ,” Garrus declared, noticing how Lorik’s eyes lit up at the proclamation. “We’ll need to send a report to the Council immediately.”

“What do you think it means?” Lorik asked as they headed for warmer waters. “If a powerful mage was trying to make a statement, why choose to do it in Irune?”

“I’m not sure,” Garrus said. “But anyone who has the ability to conjure something like that monster and then manipulate solid ice isn’t to be taken lightly.” Images of the Ivory Wizard swam in his memories. Even half-dead the old sorcerer nearly broke the Citadel shields and killed hundreds with his siege. What if there was someone even more powerful lurking in the deep, waiting for the opportune time to… well he wasn’t sure what. “We need to speak with Commander Shepard,” he told Lorik. “Maybe she’ll have a better insight into what's going on.”

The older merian rumbled in agreement as Garrus propelled himself ahead. They couldn’t reach Jane soon enough. 

**********

The  _ Normandy _ had been forced to set anchor on Noveria; a cold, half-frozen spit of land that boasted a meager harbor, a tavern, inn, and not much else. The reception had been as chilly as the weather and when they finally disembarked to rejoin with their merian escort, Jane swore the crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. Joker, however, was still on edge.

“It’s creepy,” he told her, eyes flickering from the horizon to where the giant albatross from Irune had set up a nest in the ship’s main mast. “It just sits there and  _ stares  _ at me.”

As if on cue, the albatross made a deep, cackling cry, before rustling its feathers and settling onto its nest, black eyes glued on Joker. 

“Get outta here!” Joker yelled at the bird with an animated wave of his hand.

Jane smirked. “Yeah, that’ll work."  


“It’s not funny.” Joker scowled. “You’re not trapped at the helm all day with its judgmental eyes watching.”

“It’s judging you now, huh?” Jane arched a red brow. “Whatever could it be judging you for?”

Joker grumbled something, pulling the brim of his straw hat down over his eyes. “I swear it called me  _ ‘Jeff’  _ the other day. It’s not a normal bird.”

Jane glanced up at the albatross. It’s grey and white feathers fluffed up in the afternoon breeze as it stared at Joker. It was big, but Wandering Albatross were the largest of all seabirds. “Albatross can’t talk,” Jane advised. “It’s all in your head. You should probably lay off the caffeine.”

“Commander!” Kaidan yelled from the ship’s bow. “Come see this!”

Trotting over, Jane followed his gaze out over the choppy, slate colored waters. In the far distance, spume and mist erupted from the sea as fish lept from the water in terror. Rather than swoop in on the scaly feast, frigate birds and cormorants fled, flocks like storm clouds racing across the sky from some unseen horror. 

“What in-”

A low, reverberating wail rocked against the  _ Normandy _ , as in the distance a spout of red signaled the death of something huge. Pulling a spy glass from her jacket, Jane squinted at the amplified carnage. The body of a sperm whale bobbed at the surface, cleaved perfectly in half. 

“Joker!” Jane yelled as an enormous, crimson tentacle wrapped itself around the tail section of the dead whale. “Turn us around! Get out of here  _ now!” _

More crew had gathered to stare at the terrifying spectacle that loomed closer on the horizon until someone - it sounded like Donnelly - screamed  _ “Kraken!” _ and all hell broke loose. 

“There’s no such thing as krakens!” Pressly called out to the panicking crew.

“Then what do you call  _ that!” _ Kaidan exclaimed, an accusatory finger pointed out to where more monstrous tentacles were winding around the whale carcass. 

“Great God almighty-”

“Joker!” Jane tore up the short steps to the helm. 

“I’m on it!” he replied in a sharp tone, his usual smirk replaced with a wide-eyed, determination. 

The entire ship rocked as it turned a wide arc and beat a hasty retreat away from the nightmare in front of them. Pressly came to stand next to Jane, mouth agape in disbelief. “In all my years, I’ve never seen a kraken,” he muttered. “They’re a myth. At least, I thought they were. The  _ merians  _ said they were.” This last part sounded betrayed and Jane shook her head. 

“If the merians said krakens don’t exist it’s because they don’t -  _ didn’t. _ We need to rejoin with our merian envoy.” Turning to Joker, Jane squared her shoulders, assuming the full mantle of command. “Joker, head back toward Noveria. Garrus will come looking there when we’re not at the rendezvous point.”

“Aye aye, Commander,” Joker clipped, too focused to make a remark about the warm welcome they’d undoubtedly receive back at Port Hanshan. 

From its perch in the main mast, the albatross cackled. 


	2. The Pirate Queen

The group that returned to the Citadel was not the same as the one who’d left. Both merian and human crew were haggard, with an edge of panic haunting their eyes at having witnessed nightmares made flesh. 

“You really saw a kraken?” Ashley asked, as she and Jane sat on the beach enjoying the late afternoon sun. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it with my own two eyes.” Jane shook her head. “And Garrus said that the volus discovered some kind of mutant shark-krogan… thing… melted into a glacier. Something’s up,” Jane concluded, eyes fixed on the horizon; out past the faintly shimmering Citadel shields, past the schooners and smaller sailing ships, to where the sky met the sea in an unending expanse of blue. 

“Legendary monsters like that aren’t supposed to exist,” Ashley said, stretching out her legs and burrowing her toes into the sand. “And even if they do, it seems weird that they’d all appear at once. Like they were summoned.”

“Summoned, or conjured,” Jane agreed. “Problem is, we don’t have anything definitive for the scholars to look at. The merians who ventured into Irune couldn’t transport that monster into warm water without it rotting. And there was no way I was going to have the _Normandy_ engage an actual kraken.”

Ashley hummed as a frown creased her brow. “What does the Council want to do?” she asked, turning mahogany eyes to Jane. 

“For now? There’s not much _to_ do. Other than stay vigilant for more reports of sea monsters.” Jane exhaled loudly through her lips, making an exaggerated noise with the air. “We’re embarking for the fringes of the Rannoch Sea in the morning. If there’s suddenly creatures from myth and legend plowing the waves, the quarians will know.”

“That makes sense,” Ashley said. “Will Tali be joining you?”

Jane grinned. “Yup,” she said, making the 'p' sound pop. “Against Liara’s wishes. But Tali’s how we get an audience with the Conclave. Plus, I think she wants to get in on the action. She’s mentioned several times already how great a shot she is with a blunderbuss.”

Ashley laughed, shaking her head before rising to her feet. “Well, I’ll be ready to join you. Spending time in Cipritine with Nihlus learning underwater fighting techniques was amazing, but I’ve missed the _Normandy_.”

“I’ll be glad to have you back, _Master Gunner_ Williams,” Jane told her. “Where are you headed in the meantime?”

“I’m supposed to meet Nihlus at Zakera Beach. He’ll be leading a patrol around the Widow Sea while I’m with you.”

“I see.” Jane winked at Ashley who rolled her eyes. “See you tomorrow!” Jane called as Ashley grabbed her shoes and headed down the shore. 

When dawn rolled over the ocean in rose-gold waves, Jane once again assumed her spot next to Joker at the helm as they passed through the Citadel shields. The albatross from Irune was still contentedly perched in the main mast, eyes affixed on the helmsman as they made for open water. 

Jane indulged in looking over the side of the ship and was rewarded with a tail slap from Garrus. Clearly she wasn't the only one who'd been hoping to catch a peek at their spouse. She grinned before retreating to her cabin. She’d see if her husband wanted to come aboard later that evening for some… _exercise_ _._ The positions his legs allowed them to try still required a good deal of reach and flexibility and Jane was generally left winded afterwards. That counted as exercise as far as she was concerned. 

The Selkie Serum was a wonder of magical design. The one good thing the Ivory Wizard left in his wake of death and destruction. Jane scowled down at her desk. Were these sea monsters another residual effect of the decrepit sorcerer’s demise? Odd it should take them so long to appear. 

Sighing, Jane turned to her various charts and journals. She’d been engrossed in the minutiae of cataloging their munitions when a shout pulled her from her work. She thought she’d heard incorrectly but when the cry of _“Pirates!”_ rang out again, Jane sprinted out the door.

Kaidan was the first to spot Shepard's appearance on deck. “Commander!" he yelled, jogging over. "It’s the _Omega!”_

“The _Omega?"_ Shepard squinted at the approaching ship on the horizon. "This close to the Widow Sea?”

In the Traverse ocean, the _Omega_ was a colossal dreadnought without equal, plundering and sinking any ship wayward or foolhardy enough to get within firing range. What had possessed Aria T’Loak to come this close to Citadel waters? Here, the famed pirate queen would be outnumbered and outgunned. A fact Aria knew damn well. 

“Aye, Commander! They’re flying the colors!” Kaidan said. 

“Ready the cannons!” Jane ordered, before charging toward the bow. “Guns!” she yelled to the crew. “Prepare for fire!”

Joker maneuvered the _Normandy_ into position as the imposing bulk of the _Omega_ surged forward, rapidly closing the distance between them.

“Fire cannons!”

The air became leaden before the boom of the ship’s cannons sounded, followed by thick, black smoke and the smell of gunpowder. 

“Direct hit!” Kaidan called back from where he was leaning over the rail with a spyglass. “The merians are attacking the stern! They’ll be dead in the water!”

“Ready another volley!” Jane called out, knowing Ashley was probably one step ahead of her already. 

The cannons fired again, and Jane watched as the intricately carved asari figurehead that graced the _Omega’s_ prow was blown to flaming splinters.

 _Why isn’t the Omega_ _getting into position?_ Jane wondered. _Are they seriously going to try to ram us_ _before being blasted to the oceanic abyss?_

“White flag!” Kaidan cried. “Commander, they’ve raised the white flag!”

“They’re surrendering?” Jane asked, eyebrows shooting into her hairline. 

“I don’t trust it,” Tali said, coming to stand next to Jane. “There’s no honor among pirates. They’re just waiting for us to drop our guard, then they’re going to attack.” She crossed her arms resolutely, lilac eyes peering out over the top of her veil. 

The nomadic quarians had more experience with pirates than any other race. Tali’s suspicion was sound, but as Jane stared out at the white flag waving pleadingly in the ocean wind, her own moral compass directed the final order. 

“Gunmen, hold fire!” She bellowed. “Stay alert!” 

As the _Omega_ drew closer, excessive scoring along the haul became visible, as though gigantic claws had racked down the ship’s flanks. Further scrutiny showed bent boards and mangled rigging.

“We didn’t do that,” Kaidan said with a soft shake of his head. “That’s not damage from a firefight.”

Despite its maimed appearance, the _Omega_ kept her stride, pulling up alongside the _Normandy_ as the imposing figure of Captain Aria T’Loak strode to the ship’s rail. 

“Shepard.” The asari matriarch greeted, ice clinging to the single word. “I knew you’d be reasonable and hear me out.”

“What are you doing here, T'loak?” Jane asked, struggling to maintain a professional tone. Behind her, Tali muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _bosh’tet_. 

“I’m here as a favor to _you_ ,” Aria informed, tattooed face cut into a perpetual scowl. “There’s a dark mage conjuring monsters in the Traverse. They’ve been at it for a few months but it’s starting to affect my livelihood, and by extension, yours.”

“The kraken,” Kaidan whispered, even as he kept his pistol trained on the lavender skinned asari. 

“So you’re warning us out of the goodness of your heart, is that it?” Jane just managed to bite back a scoff. “Judging by the damage to your ship, I’d say you’re here for help. We’ve personally seen and are aware of the appearance of presumed mythical creatures.”

“They aren’t _mythical_ , they’re flesh and blood and beak and talon,” Aria sneered. “The _Omega_ can handle herself. Your Council ships, on the other hand, are easy prey.”

“Uh huh. Well, thanks for the warning,” Jane retorted blithely, watching as Aria barred her teeth in response. 

“Pay attention to what I’m telling you, Shepard!” Aria yelled, hands curling into fists at her sides. “There’s a powerful mage playing in the Travese and now entering _your_ waters. If you don’t act quickly and with force, your fleets will be destroyed and your precious merians will become an endangered species!” 

At the merian comment Jane glanced down to azure waves, where Garrus and the rest of his patrol had risen above the water. The tops of their heads and the fringes on the males were the only things visible. They could vanish back into the blue like sinking stones, as at one with the ocean as the spume and spray. They couldn’t be exterminated by creatures also bred from the sea…

“Don’t let it be said that I never did anything charitable,” Aria finished, voice sinking on the last word under the weight of sarcasm in her tone. 

“If there’s a mage conjuring monsters, we’ll find them,” Jane answered, squaring her shoulders. 

“I’m sure,” Aria returned, wheeling on the spot, but pausing to glance over her shoulder. “Oh, and before I forget. Because I’ve been in such a generous mood lately, I rescued… _this,_ off the Great Lanterns at Kahje.” She snapped her fingers and two batarians appeared at the railing. One had eye patches covering the eyes on the left side of his face. The other had all four eyes, though one was milky white and intersected by a long, raised scar. Standing between them was a terrified-looking drell clad in rough hewn, brown robes typical of his race. 

Aria gave the batarians a sharp nod and, without hesitation, the drell was roughly shoved overboard. Any other land race would have crashed into the water with a colossal splash. The drell, however, possessed the ability to glide thanks to a membrane of skin that ran from their wrists to their ankles. 

The drell glided across the gap separating the two ships, and landed gracelessly in a heap at Kaidan’s feet. His scales were a thing of beauty; they ranged from brilliant burnt orange, to gold, to teal, fading into deep emerald green with black trim. He gazed up at Kaidan with large, ebony eyes.

“He’s your problem now,” Aria called over her shoulder. “I’m done being a good samaritan.”

“Are you all right?” Kaidan asked the drell, helping him to his feet. 

“Yes, thank you,” he responded, dipping his head in gratitude. 

“Who are you?” Jane inquired, scanning him for any sign of injury. 

“Please, call me Feron,” he replied. “I am a guardian of the Vassla Lantern.”

“The Vassla Lantern?” Jane whistled in surprise. That… was a long way from their current location. “How did you wind up aboard the _Omega?”_

Feron’s eyes fluttered as he became lost in memory. “One night, while attending the precious flame, I saw a ship sailing dangerously close to an oceanic boulder. I took a lantern and glided out to access the situation and discovered the _Omega_ locked firmly in the embrace of a great sea serpent.” 

“A sea serpent?” Kaidan repeated in a high pitched voice, eyes round as saucers. The lieutenant’s fear of snakes was well known among the crew. News of a ferocious, ship-smashing sea snake was clearly a bit much for the man. 

“I scarcely believed it myself,” Feron agreed. “It had coils like liquid steel and spines the size of palm trees running down its body. The _Omega_ only just managed to wound it grievously enough so that it released them.” Feron shook his head as though to dispel the images playing out in his mind. “The shock from the concussive rounds fired by both rows of cannons destabilized me, and I crashed onto the deck. Mercifully, everyone was so grateful to have escaped the jaws of death that they didn’t kill me. I am eternally grateful for you.” He bowed low to Jane who waved him off. 

“Technically, you rescued yourself,” she pointed out. “But you’re welcome to stay with us until we reach the nomadic fleet. Or return to the Citadel, if you prefer.”

“At the Citadel, I can reconnect with my brethren,” Feron said. “With their help I can return to my station.”

“Glad to have you with us until then.” Jane extended her hand. After hesitating a moment, Feron gave it a firm shake. “Kaidan? Can you show Feron to the crew quarters and help him settle in?” Jane requested. 

“Sure thing,” Kaidan agreed with an easy smile. He ushered Feron below the deck. 

Jane leaned over the railing of the _Normandy_ as the _Omega_ drifted out of sight. “Vakarian?” she called into the lapping waters that caressed the side of the ship. Garrus’ unmistakable head broke the surface, the bold, cobalt colony markings she’d spent so many evenings tracing with her fingers blended with the ocean waves. “A word topside?” she asked, a smile pulling at her lips.

“Lower a long boat!” he called up. “I’ll be right there!”

The smile turned into a fully fledged grin as Jane walked over to the smaller boats. If her evening plans were starting a little earlier than usual, she wasn’t going to complain. Besides, she did need to talk with him. Something new and dark was churning in the ocean waves. They’d figure out a solution though. After all, there was no Shepard without Vakarian. 

**********

The water left in the wake of the nomadic fleet was a seething, septic ribbon of refuse. True, anything the quarians tossed overboard eventually dissolved or else degraded back into the sand, but while in its original form it created a floating maze of questionable content. 

“And I thought Irune was filthy,” Lorik muttered as they pressed deeper into the ship laden waters, tridents held in a relaxed position. “How hard would it be for the quarians to save their trash until coming to land? _Spirits,_ what even _is_ that thing?” He swatted at what looked like a beige fruit peel. 

“If you’d prefer,” Garrus said, having heard enough of Lorik’s complaints to last a life-time. “We need to send a message to Primarch Victus detailing what we learned from the _Omega_. He’ll undoubtedly want to investigate the waters around the Traverse ocean.” Garrus glanced over at the older merian. “If you’d like to volunteer to relay our findings, it’d spare you the distasteful waves.”

“Abandon my duty? No, Commander Vakarian, I apologize if I’ve given you the impression I can’t handle some garbage.” Lorik added an extra flick to his tail to keep pace with the merians leading the group. 

Garrus sighed. Liliherix was a faster swimmer anyway, he mused. Better to send him with the message instead. 

They merian envoy came to cluster around the _Normandy’s_ hull, where she was docked alongside a colossal ship which housed the quarian Conclave. Garrus turned to face his men. “I’m going topside,” he informed, reaching for the partially used vial of Selkie Serum he always kept on his person. “Scartos, you’re in charge until I return.”

“Sir! Yes _sir,_ Commander Vakarian, sir!” Scartos’ rust colored scales always seemed to gleam brighter when left in command. He was the epitome of a good merian though; loyal and followed orders to a fault. 

“One _sir_ is plenty,” Garrus dryly informed the lieutenant. 

“Understood, Commander Vakarian.” Scartos gave a sharp nod, teal eyes alert and eager. 

Garrus resisted the urge to sigh and instead gulped down the remaining serum as his head broke the surface of the water. In the few minutes it took for the change to grip him, he hauled himself onto a temporary dock. The pain from the first time he’d used the magical elixir had become diluted thanks to tampering with the original potion. He supposed he could thank the salarians for that. Still, the transformation wasn’t what he’d call a pleasant experience. 

The tell-tale sensation of pins and needles prickled his tail as it split in half, fins becoming toes tipped with long talons. He lay back on his elbows as he gathered his bearings and prepared to stand. 

A small, strong hand appeared in front of him. Garrus’ mandibles flared into an echoing smile at the sight of his mate’s grinning face. 

Unbidden, his _aeternum song_ poured from his vocals as she helped him to his feet. The Selkie Serum still claimed his voice while in use—all magic had a price, after all—but he and Jane had developed a language of touch. A squeeze of the hand, their brows pressed together, lingering fingers, a shoulder nudge. All the small, seemingly innocuous touches had a meaning, a vernacular he was fluent in.

He accepted Jane’s help, rising to his feet and gripping her shoulders to steady himself. He nodded to the fabric under her arm. 

“I brought you a tunic and leggings,” she confirmed. “Also your _pictus_.” She flapped the garment in question for emphasis. 

Rumbling in thanks, Garrus took the tunic and started to dress. Merians didn’t have much in the way of clothing, but the _pictus_ , or _“shawl”_ as Jane called it, was a garment traditionally worn at important ceremonies. It had since become custom for merians using Selkie Serum to wear one while ashore. They were seen as a source of cultural pride and distinction. 

When he’d finished dressing, Garrus took Jane by the hand, bringing it to his mouth plates for a gentle nip. He then nodded in the direction of the large cabin that housed the Conclave. 

“Let’s go,” Jane agreed. Hand in hand, they walked down the colossal deck. It was a living garden of exotic plants; fruits, vegetables, flowers, a riot of greens, reds, and blues. He supposed it made sense that the quarians maintained floating gardens. The flotilla rarely docked on dry land and fish couldn’t always be a reliable food source. 

Stepping inside the surprisingly ventilated cabin, Garrus towered above the other occupants. He recognized Tali who was speaking animatedly with another woman toward the back, though otherwise the brightly robed quarians were all new to him. 

“Attention!” an authoritative, older voice boomed. The ambient conversation buzzed to a stop, like a wasps nest suddenly kicked into a river. 

The woman Tali had been speaking with assumed position next to the man atop a small podium. Garrus glanced at Jane who leaned in closer to whisper, “that’s Shala’Raan vas Tonbay. She’s Tali’s aunt and the current speaker for the Conclave.”

“We have visitors from the shores and depths,” speaker Raan continued, gesturing to them. “They come seeking information about the _fakata_ that have resurfaced after eons of absence.”

There was a general murmur and several shawl covered heads nodded in understanding. 

“Captain Shepard,” Raan gestured to Jane. “We will assist you however we can. The quarian people are but _trial azhana_ in the vast seas, but have seen much and our recollections are deep.”

Jane cleared her throat. “It’s just Commander, actually,” she corrected. 

“Anyone in command of a ship is a Captain,” Raan dismissed. “As far as the _fakata_ , there have been increased reports from those on pilgrimage near the Traverse sea. They hearken back to an ancient legend about a merian sorcerer who ruled the waves with ivory scales and burning ambition.”

 _No, that was impossible._ Forgetting his condition, Garrus tried to speak, but the noise came out a garbled, choking sound that caused several quarians to look at him with concern. He took Jane’s hand and squeezed it, giving her a meaningful look. 

“The Ivory Wizard is dead,” Jane replied, giving Garrus’ hand a returning squeeze. It was uncanny how well they understood each other, Garrus mused, even as he relaxed his shoulders, whirring vocals calming. 

“The Ivory Wizard is dead,” Raan agreed. “But he was never alone in his craft.” She turned her focus on Garrus, amethyst eyes blazing, as though peering back through the seas of time. “The Ivory Wizard had an older brother.”

Garrus’ vocals pitched into a high, sharp whistle. Desolas wasn’t alive! He’d died before his younger brother! Though, as he considered the story, Desolas hadn’t really _died,_ so much as disappeared. 

He turned worried eyes to Jane, taking both her hands as his vocals trembled. Jane’s mouth turned downward as she looked into his face. 

“The brother was more powerful than the Ivory Wizard,” Raan advised, voice tinged with certainty. “He haunts the chasms of the abyss. These _fakatas_ \- monsters - are his doing.”

“Well,” Jane muttered, loud enough to attract attention. “Shit.”


	3. Desolas the Doombringer

Garrus’ mother had been a merian of many talents; gardening, cooking, and hand to hand combat, to name a few. Valeria Vakarian’s greatest gift, however, was storytelling. On days when oceanic storms ripped the waves with pitiless claws that tore down to the seafloor, forcing merians to shelter inside their dwellings, Valeria regaled her family with myths and legends.

Bundled up in bull kelp blankets, young Garrus and Solana listened to their mother with rapt attention. Her words and vocals painted fantastical pictures of far off seas and reefs bursting with color and life. 

The tale of Desolas the Doombringer was Garrus’ favorite story. Solana found it frightening, though, so his mother reserved it for when his sister was sleeping. Snuggled up next to Valeria’s silver scales, a hand lovingly stroking his head, Garrus listened as she spoke in a hushed voice. 

“Desolas was the most powerful mage beneath the waves or above,” she whispered. “He had eyes like deep water, and the valuvian horns that signify someone born with magic in their blood.” His mother gestured to the lateral plates on his own head. They were still short and soft, but showed no signs of elongating into the mystic horns she spoke of.  _ Too bad, _ Garrus thought wistfully.  _ I’d make an amazing sorcerer.  _

“Back before the Krogan Wars, merians readily interacted with the land races,” his mother went on. “Desolas was the Primarch’s most trusted advisor and the threat of his magic helped to ensure nobody cheated the Hierarchy. His greatest power was the ability to conjure monsters and demons from clear water; beasts with fangs and coils and talons and tentacles. He could control them. Bend the water dragon to his will, command the leviathan to attack fleets of ships. The ancient creatures of legend were his puppets and he their master.” Garrus gasped as he imagined monsters of chitin and scale tearing apart ships and pulling them down into the abyss. 

“Despite all his power, Desolas yearned for more,” Valeria continued. “He’d pore over enchanted scrolls and investigate sunken prothean temples from bygone eras. He believed that all merians had the potential for magic, and that vast armies of sorcerers would rule the depths and even shores. All magic comes with a price though.” Valeria looked to Garrus with cautionary vocals buzzing beneath her spoken words. 

“For Desolas, the price was his sanity. The more magic he used, the stronger he became, the more of his logic and reason slipped through his fingers like sand through an hour-glass.” Valeria waved her hand through the water, a thin trail of bubbles following the movement. “His brother, the Ivory Wizard, watched as Desolas lost his mind and tried to stop him. But Desolas could no longer differentiate between friend and foe and attacked his younger sibling. He summoned beasts that made the ocean seem small; colossal squids and eels with sparking energy scintillating along their tails in an unending aurora of color. The Ivory Wizard fought back, turning the very water against his brother; seething, creeping waves with ebony tendrils and fathomless maws that sucked everything they swallowed into the deep sea trenches.”

“What happened?” Garrus breathed, eyes wide as full moons. 

“In the end, Desolas no longer had the mental ability to control his creations. They became feral, wild nightmares which the Ivory Wizard was able to destroy.” Valeria turned to him, mandibles flared in a grin. “They’re gone now--have been for centuries. You needn’t be scared.” She pressed her brow to his with a reassuring purr. 

“But what about Desolas?” Garrus asked uncertainly. 

“He perished along with his monsters,” his mother said with a soft mandible flick. “When the price for power becomes too high, a wise merian won’t attempt to pay. Never seek out more than you can handle, Garrus.” She held him close, a lullaby in her subvocals. 

Garrus fell asleep, confident her story was just that: a story. 

**********

The return journey to the Citadel was a somber one. If gossip spread fast, bad news spread faster. Jane had been back on the _Normandy_ for hardly ten minutes and it seemed like everyone already knew that there was another unhinged merian sorcerer on the loose. 

Jane looked to Garrus who was still under the effects of the Selkie Serum. His mandibles were pinched tightly to his face and he was making a nervous, warbling vocalization to himself. She couldn’t blame him. The Ivory Wizard had been terrifying. The notion that his brother was out there, conjuring marine horrors for who knew what reason… 

“Joker?” Jane walked up the short steps to the helm. “Change of course.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re going to Cipritine,” she informed him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her husband whirl around and nearly topple over in the process. He caught himself on a crate and stared. “If Desolas is back, he’s likely focused on the merian capital, not the island nations or Traverse Sea.”

“What makes you think that?” Joker asked, even as he adjusted his hands on the wheel, directing the  _ Normandy  _ into a turn. 

“Desolas was active long before the Krogan Wars. While I can’t be entirely sure of his motivations, the places his monsters have attacked have all been open water,” Jane replied, crossing her arms. “All except for the Irune creature. Why Irune? The Council barely does anything there. The  _ volus  _ barely do anything there.” 

“You think the merians know something?” Joker hedged. 

“Primarch Victus might,” Jane said. “He's privy to information Garrus and other high-ranking military leaders don’t have.” She glanced over at Garrus who was still watching her, his superior hearing allowing him to eavesdrop. “There were never permanent merian outposts in Irune because of the temperature. Otherwise, merians have colonized all the seas. But what if there was something else keeping them away? We need to talk to Victus,” Jane concluded. “I want to know about anything merian scouts have seen in Irune that looked out of place.  _ Especially  _ around the polar trenches.”

“Aye aye, Com-”

“JEFF!” An avian squawk interrupted. “JEFF!”

“I told you!” Joker screeched, stabbing an accusatory finger up at the albatross on the main mast. “I told you she could talk!”

“It’s a female?” Jane asked, shading her eyes with a flat hand to better see. 

“I’m pretty sure,” Joker said, not sounding at all certain. “But anyway, she can talk! It’s not natural! She’s afflicted… affected… magic is involved!” 

Jane would normally dismiss this claim as lunacy, but given everything that had happened near Irune lately, it wasn’t so crazy a notion. Was the albatross under some kind of magical influence?

Garrus came to stand next to her, rumbling in question. “I don’t know,” Jane replied. “Maybe there’s a normal explanation?”

“Normal albatross don’t talk!” Joker retorted. “It’s weird enough when parrots do, this… this is sorcery. Or something.”

The albatross cackled from her perch, beady eyes fixed on Joker as she did. The helmsman shuddered. “Can’t get to Cipritine soon enough,” he muttered. 

**********

It had taken them four days, but at last they arrived in the green waters above the merian capital. Jane and Ashley sat in a long boat, dressed only in chest wraps and underwear, as Jane held a vial of Selkie Serum between them. 

“Sure you don’t want to see Cipritine?” she called up to Feron who was watching curiously from the railing. 

“No, no thank you,” he replied, taking a step backward. “Drell weren’t made for submersion--magic or no. I’d prefer to stay on the ship with Kaidan.”

The man in question came to stand next to him. So close, their shoulder’s brushed. “Suit yourself,” Jane returned, turning her head so only Ashley could see her smirk. “After you, Master Gunner,” she said, offering Ashley the serum. 

“I think they’re cute,” Ashley commented, eyes flicking to Kaidan and Feron before gulping down half the vial and handing the remainder to Jane. 

Jane grinned as she swallowed the last of the magical elixir. The taste always reminded her of black licorice. Garrus said it tasted like poached sea squirts, which looked like disgusting green warts. Jane refused to sample them and supposed she’d have to take his word for it. 

The change didn’t hurt, but it was still uncomfortable. Her legs prickled, feeling numb, as though asleep. An unseen force had her unconsciously bring them together as skin and muscle fused. Bright, red scales studded her tail as fins sprouted from the end like crimson ferns. 

Webbing formed between her fingers as scales ticked up her arms, stopping just before the elbow. Jane heaved herself over the side of the longboat, sucking in deep gill-fulls of water. An echoing splash announced Ashley as she came to swim up next to Jane, ebony scales glinting in the shafts of sunlight that cut through the water. 

Below them, the marble towers and arches of Cipritine sparkled in refracted sunbeams. It gave the merian capital an almost ethereal appearance, and Jane couldn’t help but sigh as she stared down at it. 

“Ready?”

Jane turned to face Garrus’ brilliant, azure eyes. His mandibles were flared out in a crooked, merian smile and a soft purr underlay his words. He held out a hand and Jane took it with an easy smile as her hair billowed around her face. 

Ashley rolled her eyes but a small smile graced her lips. When it came to public displays of affection Ashley was  _ not  _ one to talk. She and Nihlus didn’t care  _ who  _ saw them bumping foreheads or making out. Garrus joked that Ashley had turned his former captain into a horny fledgling. 

Jane stuck her tongue out at Ashley before swimming into Garrus’ arms and pressing a passionate kiss to his mouth. She forced herself to pull away before things could get too hot and heavy, despite the large, warm hands that moved to hold her around the waist. They had a mission to complete, and only two hours to do it.

“Let’s go,” Garrus said, voice sounding huskier than usual. 

The trio swam down into Cipritine proper, past curious merians and other council races under the effects of Selkie Serum. A pair of lavender-scaled asari waved to them as they swam through a colossal archway and to the giant tower known as the Spire, where the Primarch awaited. The sides of the tower were covered in a mosaic of lapis lazuli and jasper, depicting merians with raised tridents swimming out to face some unseen foe. 

Two armed merian guards at the entrance regarded them. The water became dense with vocals as Garrus said something to them with his subharmonics. The pair glanced at each other before the bronze plated one gestured with the pointed tip of his trident for them to enter.

Being underwater, no merian building needed stairs. Instead long, open shafts ran from floor to ceiling, allowing people to swim up and down, stopping at whichever floor they desired. Primarch Victus had his office on the uppermost floor. He had his back to them, speaking with another merian. The far wall of his office consisted of a large window made from sea glass in hues of chartreuse, lilac, and cerulean blue. The effect was a stained glass dream-scape cast upon the marble floor. 

Swimming over to him, Garrus came into a vertical position, which Ashley and Jane mirrored. The other merian glanced at them before nodding to Victus and taking his leave. 

“Ah, Commander Vakaraian, Commander Shepard,” Victus greeted. “Always a pleasure.” He turned to Ashley. “You must be Ashley Williams. Reports of your skill in combat during Alliance-Hierarchy training say you’re as adept with a trident as Captain Kryik.”

Ashley gave a professional nod, though Jane didn’t miss the proud smile fighting to break through. Ash was a ferocious warrior anywhere--on land, or below the waves. That was the main reason Captain Anderson had sent her for training in Cipritine. Having Nihlus as a personal instructor was just an added bonus. 

“But, you’re all here for a reason,” Victus said, switching the conversation to the more pressing concern.  Folding his hands behind his back, the Primarch floated toward the window to gaze out at his sprawling empire. “The accounts from Irune are disturbing. I’m informed you have questions about anything our scouts might have discovered in the region?” 

Jane looked to Garrus. Given the circumstances, he’d need to act as her voice. Though he knew what her inquiries were.

“We believe Desolas the Doombringer is alive,” he stated bluntly. “And possibly situated in the sea trenches surrounding Irune.”

“Desolas?” Victus tore his gaze from the vista as he turned to face them. Though his mandibles barely moved, his whiskey colored eyes retreated in on himself, deep in contemplation. “Normally I’d say that’s impossible, but the Ivory Wizard proved that when sorcery is involved, anything is possible.”

“It fits, sir,” Garrus said. “Desolas was famed for conjuring mythical monsters, exactly like what we’re now encountering. The Irune beast was the only one found near land, though. Expressly so, since the volus believe it was melted into the glacier.”

Victus regarded them, subvocals tightly kept. The only sound was the perpetual whisper of water through the building. “We don’t have any permanent outposts in Irune,” Victus finally said. “The polar seas are virtually uninhabitable in the winter. I haven’t had any indication from the summer scouting forays sent there that anything is amiss.”

Jane sighed in frustration. This trip and meeting were looking like a waste of time.

“But,” Victus said, amber gaze pinning Jane in place. “In the past, I am aware that my predecessors used to…  _ dispose  _ of things in the Irune trenches. Namely, the bodies of those possessing magical blood.”

Jane’s eyes boggled. She was aware merians disposed of their dead by weighing them down with rocks and sinking them in the fathomless oceanic trenches. But what if Desolas hadn’t been truly dead? The stories about him made his abilities sound almost God-like. An old phrase, one whose source she couldn’t recall crept into her consciousness.  _ Even dead Gods still dream.  _

“Was Desolas one of those laid to rest in the Irune trench?” Garrus asked.

“I believe so,” Victus replied. “Whatever was left of him, anyway.”

_ He’s not dead! _ Jane mentally screamed, glancing at Ashley who seemed to be having the same thought if the look of horror on her face meant anything. 

“He’s not dead,” Garrus said for her. “Desolas--or a part of him, anyway--is alive, somewhere near Irune. And we have to stop him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will continue to be sporadic, but hopefully readers are still enjoying this AU =)


	4. Into the Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW -- Sexual content after chapter break

“You’re sure you want to go to Irune with me?” Solana asked, a mandible flicked out in skepticism. “It’s freezing there, you know. Even colder out of the water.”

“Come on, Sol, anywhere you go is sizzling,” James joked from where he lay stretched out on the shore of Zakera Beach. The tide lapped at his bare feet and Solana lay facing him, stretched out at his side, the sun glinting off her scales like polished silver. 

She huffed. “Whatever you say… Muscles.” 

“Muscles?” James burst out laughing. “Come on Sol, that’s  _ too  _ easy. A pet-name can’t be that obvious.”

“Maybe I meant it like the shellfish!”

“Naw.” James leaned forward to plant a kiss on Solana’s plated nose. “My muscles are way more impressive than those rock-huggers.” He flexed an arm to demonstrate. 

“You’re lucky I love you,” she muttered, bending forward to press her brow to his forehead. 

“I’m joining Shepard on the _Normandy_ tomorrow,” James said softly, brow still pressed against Solana’s. “You joining your brother?”

“Ugh, yes.” Solana tipped her head back dramatically.

“Does Scars try to pull rank on you?” 

“It’s not Garrus that’s going to be a problem, it’s that annoying lieutenant of his.” Solana made an aggravated hum, nostrils flaring. 

“Yeah?” 

“He’s  _ obsessed  _ with rules and the chain of command--pretty sure he snaps off salutes in his sleep. I almost fin-whipped him in the face last time he was my acting superior.”

“That bad, huh?” James asked with a grin. He tried to imagine how obnoxious someone would need to be to infuriate his even-tempered girlfriend. 

“The worst,” Solana confirmed. “I don’t know how Garrus puts up with him. He’s good at his job I guess.” She flicked sand off her arm, brow plates pulled low in irritation. 

“Well, whenever the lieutenant gets you down, just remember, this hunk is waiting for you top-side.” James was rewarded by Solana’s soft laugh.  _ Not a bad way to pass my last afternoon in the tropics, _ he decided. 

**********

The following morning, James reported to XO Pressley for duty. He saw all the usual faces: Ashley, Kaidan, Joker--the drell was new. 

“James, this is Feron,” Kaidan said, gesturing to the brightly scaled drell. “He’s requested to accompany us to Irune.”

“Yeah?” James raised a brow even as he extended a hand to shake Feron’s. The drell’s skin was cool to the touch. For some reason James had imagined it’d be warm. 

“These monsters pose a threat to everyone who relies upon the ocean,” Feron said in a gravelly voice. “If I can assist in any way, I feel it's my duty to do so.”

“Well all right,” James said. Noticing the loose folds of skin between the slit in Feron’s robes, he felt himself grin. His aunt had been a first mate aboard a merchant ship and often told stories about the soaring drell of Kahje. “You can fly with those, right?” James said, pointing.

“Vega!” Kaidan snapped, looking slightly ill.

“Is that rude to ask?” James looked expectantly to Feron, but the drell seemed amused more than anything. 

“Yes, I can glide on ocean thermals,” he replied. “But it uses a lot of energy. I only glide when necessary.”

“Cool,” James said, wondering what Feron deemed  _ ‘necessary’  _ and if he’d get to see him fly. 

Kaidan still looked embarrassed on James’ behalf, pinching the bridge of his nose while he shook his head.  _ Why does K care so much if I ask Feron questions?  _ James wondered, before a call from Ashley had him venturing below deck. 

It wasn’t until five days later, as frost blew in on the northern winds, that James saw Kaidan and Feron huddled together on the deck sharing a blanket.  _ That’s why K is so protective of him, huh?  _ James chuckled to himself, even as Shepard appeared from her cabin.

“Vega, we’re going to be above the Irune trench tomorrow morning,” she said, her voice coming out as thick steam on the frozen air. “I want you, Alenko, and Williams, to take Selkie Serum and join me on an investigative expedition with the merians.”

“Yes, ma’am,” James said with a nod. “Is it… cold, down there?” He glanced over the side of the ship to where ice flows floated past like clouds in an overcast sky. 

“It isn’t warm, that’s for sure,” Shepard said, coming to stand next to him. “The merians have some extra seal-skin cloaks we can wear. That should keep us warm enough.”

“Yeah.” James glanced warily at the miles of icy sea. He wondered if maybe Solana had  _ two  _ extra cloaks. “I’ll be ready, Commander.”

“Good,” Shepard said with a nod before rubbing her hands together. “It’s freezing here,” she muttered before moving off to talk to Joker. 

_ ‘Freezing’ _ was an understatement. If the Selkie Serum had left him with external genitals, James was positive that his balls would have shot up into his stomach at the arctic punch that left him paralyzed when he dove beneath the waves. 

Shepard waved for him to follow her and shaking off the burning chill, he dove down after the others. 

They swam to where the merians were gathered. They looked equally miserable, pulling cloaks and what looked like scarfs tighter about themselves. Solana handed James a thick cloak that looked like it was made from the pelt of a fur seal. It was soft and warm and James sighed as he draped it over his shoulders and pulled it across his stomach. 

Shepard looked to Garrus expectantly, pointing toward the surface as if to remind him that they had a limited time-frame. 

“This way,” Garrus said, pointing a taloned finger downward. 

“Great,” a nearby merian muttered. “It’s probably even colder down there.”

“It is,” Solana said, mandibles pinching tightly to her face as a buzzing subvocal left her throat. 

Diving down, the water turned a deeper shade of navy, until James could barely see an inch ahead. 

“Shake up the lantern fish!” Garrus ordered from somewhere off to the left. 

There was a rumbling chorus of agreement from the merians before suddenly blue, bioluminescent lights blazed to life all around them. James squinted at the merian closest to him. He was holding his trident extended outward and tied to the tip was a glass jar with a small, excited fish swimming around in it. The fish glowed in the crushing darkness of the depths, illuminating the way. 

_ Too bad birds don’t glow, _ James mused.  _ A glowing parrot would be awesome. _

The pressure of the deep began to squeeze him, making his ribs ache. He wondered how much further the trench was when, at last, the pale blue light of the lantern fish shone upon the sea floor. It was a barren sandy waste, though disturbing trails were imprinted on the bottom.  _ Flounder or maybe an octopus?  _ He couldn’t say. 

They pushed on until the sea floor abruptly dropped off into a ravine with no apparent end. “The Irune trench,” the merian next to him whispered in a voice tinged with awe. 

James caught sight of Ashley frowning in dim light. Kaidan swam alongside her, looking just as glum. 

“This is where previous Primarchs laid the bodies of those with magic to rest,” Garrus said as the group bunched up on the edge of the ravine. “The Ivory Wizard was our last sorcerer. And we all know  _ he  _ wasn’t buried here.” 

“It’s been at least a century since anyone was laid here,” Solana added. “At least that I’m aware of.”

“Primarch Victus confirmed that,” Garrus said. “But we’re not sure that something didn’t come  _ out  _ of the trench.”

“What should we do, sir?” a merian asked.

“Spread out along the rift in groups of three,” Garrus ordered. “Look for anything unusual--tracks or,” he rolled his hand around, “anything out of place.”

James glanced at Solana and the merian next to him. Solana looked torn on the other merian joining them and James recalled she wasn’t keen on Garrus’ lieutenant, but the other merian waved for them to follow. 

“Come on,” he said in an authoritative voice. 

In the dim light of the lantern fish, James scanned the sea floor. It was the same monotonous layer of silt, occasionally a sea urchin or a shell. He wondered if he’d even recognize something  _ ‘unusual’  _ when the lieutenant suddenly held up a hand for them to stop. Lifting his trident to illuminate their surroundings, he pointed up ahead. 

Large, white ovals were anchored to the sea floor in clusters. James cast a look at Solana before swimming closer to investigate. The things looked… vaguely familiar. It wasn’t until Solana swam over and held her lantern fish next to one, and he saw the impression of what was inside that he realized with racing terror  _ why  _ he recognized them. 

Memories of octopus hunting with his uncle off the coral reef near their village flooded his mind. Finding a den full of tiny, thumb shaped eggs was always a thrill. They were often glued inside rock crevices like bunches of hanging white grapes. The female octopus was never too far off, though his uncle had a policy not to kill any mother guarding a clutch. It was just cruel and in the long run depleted their stocks. The eggs were fun to admire with the little octopi inside, but you had to be wary of the protective mother who’d lunge at any unwary diver’s face with a bone crushing beak. 

Seizing Solana by the arm, James practically hauled her back over to the lieutenant. 

“What’s wrong?” Solana asked, alarmed. 

James shook his head, unable to answer. He continued to drag Solana with him back in the direction they’d come. 

Picking up on his sense of urgency, Solana and the lieutenant rushed after him. "What are those things?” she asked again, looking to the lieutenant as though he might know. 

_ Eggs!  _ James mentally screamed, as his tail muscles burned with how fast he was driving himself through the water.  _ Octopus eggs! Really, really,  _ big, _ octopus eggs! _

As they encountered the rest of their group along the ravine James took to simply yanking on hands or arms, pointing frantically toward the surface. Confused but compelled to follow him--likely due to the look of horror painted across his face--the others swam back to the  _ Normandy. _ He doubted it was much safer there, but anywhere was better than a kraken nest.

Heads breaking the surface after an eternity of swimming, he was grateful Selkie Serum negated the bends. Still though, he wasn’t going to relax until he, Solana, and everyone else were  _ far  _ from the icy waters of Irune--and the breeding ground for an army of monsters.

**********

“Everyone seems to think  _ I  _ know how to solve this mess!” Jane said, venting a frustrated sigh as she stood hands akimbo, glaring into the bathroom mirror. 

“Well, you  _ are  _ Commander Shepard,” Garrus replied from where he was partially submerged in a giant bathtub filled with sea water. “I’ve heard that taking on evil wizards is your specialty.”

Jane tossed him an exasperated look.  _ Smart ass. _ Still, she was thankful Noveria had the amenities to allow Garrus to spend the night with her at the Inn. The giant, claw-foot tub was older, but it held enough water for her husband to remain comfortable in his merian form. 

“If Desolas is a merian, shouldn’t he be  _ your  _ responsibility?” she asked, walking over to kneel next to the bathtub. 

Garrus huffed, reaching to caress her cheek with his hand. “If Desolas is alive and breeding an army of monsters, then he’s  _ everyone’s  _ problem. Though I’d wager the volus have the most to lose.”

Jane hummed at the memory of the irate volus chieftain, stamping his pudgy feet and quaking in fury as Garrus explained the cause for all the strange happenings in Irune. Din had sworn to take an envoy to Cipritine to give Primarch Victus  _ “a piece of his mind.” _

A grin blossomed across Jane’s face as she imagined Victus getting shrieked at by Din for the mistakes of Primarchs past. Stoic as he was, Victus would need to restrain himself for  _ that  _ tongue lashing. 

“You’re imagining Victus having to deal with Chief Din, aren’t you.”

“Maybe,” Jane admitted. Garrus looked nonplussed but the mild tremor of his mandibles betrayed him. “Come on, you think it’d be funny too.” 

_ “Maybe.”  _ Garrus reached for her, plucking at the fabric of her sleep shirt. “There’s a fire in the hearth, a  _ devastatingly  _ handsome merian in your bathtub, and you, Commander Shepard, are entirely overdressed.”

“Is that a fact now?” Jane asked, even as she pulled her shirt over her head. “I dunno Garrus, the sea water was pretty cold last I checked.”

“Fortunately for both of us, it warmed up.” Once she was bare before him, Garrus took her hand, tugging gently. “We’re meeting with the asari and elcor scholars tomorrow. Combined, we’ll figure something out.”

“So I should try to relax and enjoy this moment together?” Jane raised an eyebrow, even as she dipped a finger into the tub. The water was far warmer than when it had first been carried up by a pair of cranky looking salarians. Garrus rolled onto his back so she could straddle him. 

“Just don’t forget to come up for air,” Garrus said softly as she stepped into the tub and positioned herself. “You’re not alone, Jane. We’re all in this together.”

Jane leaned forward from her place in his lap, pressing her brow to his and closing her eyes. “I know,” she whispered. 

Garrus wrapped his arms around her, his atrium song flowing out into the porcelain tub and engulfing her. _ Never let me go, never let me go.  _

“You know,” Garrus said after a while. “This bathtub is pretty large. With my reach and your flexibility…” He trailed off, cocking his head and flaring his scarred mandible. 

Jane tapped her chin as she pretended to consider it, grinding against his pelvic plates. Garrus moaned before a large, talon tipped finger moved to run the length of her slit, flicking her clit. Jane gasped, falling forward. 

He chuckled darkly. “Two can play at that game.”

If it was a game he wanted, Jane was more than willing to play. And much like her husband, she had a competitive streak. She moved her head to plant sucking kisses and nips along the column of Garrus’s neck. He leaned his head back, a subvocal groan echoing in his chest. 

While he was distracted with her ministrations, Jane ran a hand down the length of his keel, dipping a finger inside his parted seam to rub the head of his cock. 

Garrus sputtered something in his native language before reaching up to cup her breasts, thumbs stroking her nipples before plucking them. Jane faltered in her movements and Garrus leaned his head forward, laving one nipple with his long, blue tongue. 

Not to be bested, Jane forced herself to move, grinding against him as one hand squeezed his sensitive, unplated waist. Garrus unsheathed with a sigh and Jane moved to glide over him, the ribbed underside of his shaft making her shudder as she rubbed herself along his length. 

Garrus made a strained squawking sound he’d deny later before looking at her with eyes like molten pools of ebony, nose plates scrunching and desire pulsing beneath his main voice. “Please, Jane.”

“Do I win?” she asked smugly. 

“Always.”

Something about his vocals as he said the word, looking to her with devotion and love rolling in his atrium song made her heart flutter. Even after all this time, no matter how many times they had sex, made love, whatever you called it, the act was always special with Garrus. 

Jane lifted onto her knees, taking his cock in hand and positioning him at her entrance before sinking down. Garrus’ mandibles flared as his jaw dropped in a subharmonic scream of ecstasy. Jane, in contrast, moaned so loudly she didn’t doubt that Kaidan and Feron could hear her from their room three doors down. 

Garrus grabbed her by the hips, lifting her up his length before slamming her back down. Jane gasped as she leaned forward, fingers caressing Garrus’ face before snaking around the back of his head to knead the patch of hide beneath his fringe. She heard him curse before he picked up his pace, tail moving to drape over the side of the tub as he drove into her. 

Jane met his thrusts as best she could, the water adding another layer of sensation to their coupling. Garrus growled as she clenched around him before suddenly flipping them over. Water splashed over the sides of the tub and Jane braced herself against the porcelain as best she could while Garrus pounded into her. 

His pelvic scales rubbed against her clit each time they came flush and his roaring subvocals churned the water, prickling her skin as he fucked her hard and deep. 

She screamed his name as her toes curled and white, racing heat tore through her limbs. Garrus cried something in Palaveni that sounded like a plea before pressing himself into her as deep as he could. She felt his cock pulse as he spilled himself inside her and the knot at his base began to swell. 

The bathwater lapped at her clavicle as Garrus held her to him, face buried in her hair. She clung to him just as desperately, even as the rippling aftershocks of her orgasm faded from her system. When he eventually lifted his head, his eyes burned with a sapphire inferno. “You definitely win,” he said before rocking against her and eliciting a groan.   


“Don’t worry, Garrus, you came in a close second.” Jane pressed her brow to his. 

Garrus chuckled, eyes closing. “You’re going to have to mop up when we’re done,” he whispered with what she felt was a smirk in his voice. “But don’t worry, I’ll supervise.”

Jane swatted his cowl and Garrus laughed again. “Worth it?” he asked, pressing his mouth plates to her lips in his approximation of a kiss. 

“Always,” Jane whispered, deepening their kiss.  _ Always.  _


	5. What's Left

The island of Dekuuna, located in the heart of the Silean Sea, was a massive, flat piece of land which boasted not mountains, but lush prairies of green, rolling grass. The elcor who lived there had evolved to take advantage of both the fertile plains and shallow reefs. Garrus had once heard another merian comment that the elcor resembled a more versatile form of elephant seal. The description was apt.

The elcor were lumbering and methodical on land, but in the ocean surrounding their island, they were remarkably agile swimmers. They didn’t tend to venture far from land, however, lacking the ability to hold their breaths for days at a time like the krogan. 

Dekuuna lay near the asari islands and for this reason, had a bustling harbor and prominent merchant class. The capital city, Malvuon, also contained Undying Ocean University, a renown place for scholarly pursuits and research into all things magical. 

The University Chancellor was an older elcor known as Xeltan. Despite the heavy robes of office and thick gold chains around his neck, Garrus was pleasantly surprised by Xeltan’s affable nature and keen interest to assist. 

“With genuine interest: how can I be of service to the Citadel?” Xeltan glanced at the asari acolyte flanking his left side. “Mildly suspicious: does this have to do with the reports of sea monsters?”

Jane leaned forward in her wooden chair which had been set up near the surf to allow Garrus and Lorik to remain in their merian forms for the meeting. “We have reason to believe that the merian sorcerer, Desolas, is still alive and summoning monsters from the depths,” Jane said. “Of course, when I say _‘alive’_ it might not be in the sense we would consider living.”

“Unrestrained shock: Desolas the Doombringer is alive?”

“Again, _alive_ is a relative term,” Garrus said, remembering the corpse that had been the Ivory Wizard. “He might be more of a ghost.”

Xeltan rocked back on his hind legs as he absorbed this information. The asari acolyte at his side, an older woman who looked to be in her matriarch stage, shook her head vehemently, making the copper chains on her black headdress chime. 

“Sorcerers cannot become ghosts,” she said in an erudite tone. “What happened to the Ivory Wizard was an anomaly--a freak occurrence that should have never been.” 

“I can assure you, madam, that the Ivory Wizard very much happened,” Garrus retorted, eyes narrowing into slits. _“I_ was there.” 

“And as _I_ said, that was an anomaly,” the acolyte replied defiantly, crossing her arms. 

“Gravely serious: Sister Lidanya is correct. Magical beings don’t linger in the afterlife.”

Garrus questioned how the hell Xeltan, Lidanya--or anyone for that matter--knew that certain types of ghosts didn’t exist. Or that ghosts existed at all. 

_“This is preposterous,”_ Lorik vocalized next to him. _“Arguing the legitimacy of ghosts!”_

“Condescending smugness: No, Mister Qui’in, it is not preposterous, but a well known magical fact.”

Garrus glared at Lorik. Elcor had a renowned sense of hearing. They were perhaps the only other race who could hear and understand merian subvocals. 

“Okay, so Desolas isn’t a ghost or apparition, got it,” Jane cut in before Lorik could open his mouth. “So, is he another living corpse, like his brother? I understand that what happened to the Ivory Wizard is extremely rare, but it _did_ happen,” she said, looking to the asari. 

“With careful consideration grounded in learning: Wizards cannot exist as ghosts, but they can persist as a memory. A lingering echo of motivations and emotions.”

_Otherwise known as a ghost,_ Garrus thought, only just managing not to roll his eyes. 

“Okay… so if Desolas is now only a… lingering memory… what does he look like?” Jane asked, rising to her feet and crossing her arms. She wanted to pace, Garrus could tell, but she would wait until she was alone or else it was just the two of them. She felt pacing made people uncomfortable, for some reason. 

“Confessed ignorance for no fault of my own: I do not know.”

Jane flung her hands in the air and Garrus sighed. 

“Chancellor Xeltan, is there anything you’ve encountered or read that might give us an idea of what we’re facing?” Garrus gave the elcor a pleading look. “The fate of all the islands and oceans is hanging in the balance. Anything that can help us--any information at all.”

Xeltan glanced at Sister Lidanya whose blue lips were pinched so tightly together they looked white. “It has been seen,” the matriarch began at last, “in mind melds with those of magical blood, eons ago, that the essence of those with unfinished business--”

_Ghosts,_ Garrus couldn’t help but think. 

“--manifested as shadows of their former selves; a dark shape against the shore, a solid piece of midnight in the ether, and feelings of rage, regret, and longing constricting the thoughts of any who might encounter them.”

“Desolas is a cursed shadow?” Jane asked, eyebrows shooting up nearly to her hairline. 

“If that overly simplified explanation helps you, then yes.” Sister Lidanya clasped her hands behind her back and fixed Jane with a withering glare. “Are we done here, Xeltan?” she asked without taking her eyes off Jane. 

“Wait a minute,” Garrus said, holding up a hand. “In these bygone melds, was there any clue on how to banish the lingering memories of dead sorcerers?”

“Cautiously encouraging: To dispel the echo of a sorcerer, you must complete it’s unfinished business.”

“Unfinished business?” Lorik gawked at the others assembled on the beach. “Desolas’ unfinished business was to destroy Cipritine! You would have us level the merian capital based on the dreams of mystics and no other supporting information?” 

Sister Lidanya gave Lorik a glare that could have boiled seawater. “Not _dreams,_ you--”

“Thank you, Chancellor Xeltan, Sister Lidanya,” Jane interrupted. “Your counsel has been most appreciated and given us somewhere to start.” She bowed to the two University scholars before turning to Garrus and Lorik. “We’re heading back to the Citadel. We need to speak with the counselors.”

“We’ll meet you at the Normandy,” Garrus confirmed with a nod, biting back loving subvocals at the sight of Jane’s hair catching in the breeze like embers. 

_Something big is going to happen,_ he thought as he and Lorik, plowed beneath the breakers. Something only the Counsel can order. 

Regardless, he knew one thing for certain: They were in for a fight. 

**********

James wiggled his body until his legs were covered in a layer of warm, white sand. He sighed, shading his face with an arm from where he laid stretched out on Zakara Beach. After the frozen hell that was Irune and, to a lesser extent, Noveria, the tropical sun and beaches of the Citadel were a welcome relief. 

Sol was supposed to meet up with him later. She had joined her brother and Commander Shepard for a meeting with the Council. James didn’t envy her that. Like all politicians, the counselors could speak for hours without managing to say anything. Shepard wanted the full Citadel fleet on the offensive, ready and prepared to sail for Cipritine at the order. Somehow, he doubted her request would be granted that easily. 

“Mister Vega.”

James sat up at the greeting which sounded like it came from further away. Glancing around and seeing no one, he looked toward the surf and saw Lieutenant Scartos hauling himself up onto the shore. 

It took some internal convincing for James to stand up and join the merian closer to the tide. He hadn’t spoken much to the man, but his girlfriend hated him, so James tread carefully when talking. 

“What’s up, Scartos?” he asked, sitting down nearby but out of the water. 

“Thaddeus, please,” the rust plated merian said with a friendly mandible flick. “I came to sun my scales for a bit. What else to do when off duty?”

James could think of a variety of things to do, but then considered if Scartos-- _Thaddeus_ \--had many friends. He wasn’t popular with Garrus’ patrol from what he’d heard. 

“Can’t beat the beach on a nice day,” James said conversationally. _Maybe the guy isn’t so bad when off duty?_

Before Thaddeus could respond, another merian burst from the spray and clamored up next to them. 

“Qu’in? Do you need me for something?” The lieutenant lifted up onto his hands, ready to push back into the waves. 

“Oh how the _turn tables_ ,” Lorik said dryly. “Me needing something from _you.”_

Thaddeus made a low sounding growl followed by a series of sharp clicks. Lorik--who James recognized as one of Garrus’ more trusted scouts--sniffed in response to whatever subvocal rebuke he’d received. 

“I’m here for personal pleasure,” the older merian said, looking at James. “I have a date with my lovely human girlfriend. We’re meeting up here before I take Selkie Serum.”

“You have a human girlfriend?” James supposed it wasn’t _that_ shocking a concept, but it was hard to picture Lorik… well, with anyone. The man talked about work and the finer comforts of life. Not significant others. Unless this relationship was new?

“Gianna Parasini,” Lorik said with a purr. “She really is the full package; smart, sophisticated, sexy. And, what’s the human phrase? A lady in the streets, and a prostitute in the bedroom.”

James felt his jaw drop as Thaddeus snorted. “Good for you I guess. I suppose there is someone out there for everyone.”

“Yes, it _is_ good for me.” Lorik made a tisking sound at Thaddeus. “Still single, I take it? What a shock.”

Thaddeus bared his teeth at Lorik. “I’m single by _choice_ , old man. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better places to be!”

“I’m sure you do,” Lorik deadpanned as Thaddeus backed into an oncoming wave, teal eyes shooting daggers. 

When the lieutenant was gone, James turned to Lorik who had rolled onto his back. “That was pretty cold, man. What did Thaddeus ever do to you?”

Lorik cracked open a golden eye. “The young lieutenant believes he possesses more authority than he does. As soon as any modicum of leadership is bestowed, he begins to order everyone around--pointlessly, I might add.”

“He seems okay off duty,” James offered.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lorik said, closing his eye once more. “He spent the last several hours while he was in charge of the patrol forcing me to gather scouring stones for the communal gravel bed. _Me._ For no reason other than to be a… how would you say it… a jerk?” 

“A bit power hungry, huh?”

“A tyrant. That’s why he’s always alone.”

James felt a twinge of sympathy for Thaddeus even so. Maybe, when Sol got done with her meeting, they could invite him to hang out? It might take some convincing, but his girlfriend had a caring heart, she’d agree. Maybe the lieutenant would lighten up if he considered the other scouts friends.

_Who knows how much longer we’ll have to relax,_ James mused as he watched the azure waves crash upon the shore. 

“I hear we’ll be departing for Cipritine with a token entourage,” Lorik said, digging talons down into the sand. 

“How’d you hear that already?” James asked, moving to recline on his elbows. 

“Merians are the biggest gossips known to creation,” Lorik replied lazily. “Though I must say, returning to the comforts of the capital isn’t as appealing now that I have someone waiting for me here.”

James nodded in agreement. Whatever the Council decided, at least he’d have Sol with him. He couldn’t imagine doing this without her fighting at his side. 

_Bring it on,_ he thought as he watched the dark band of deep water on the horizon. _I’m ready for it._


	6. Shadows in the Deep

Jane was in a foul mood as the  _ Normandy  _ churned the chartreuse waves of the Tribean Sea. She’d made her case passionately to the Citadel Counsel: Desolas the Doombringer was back in some sort of corporal form and intent on conjuring aquatic terrors to destroy Cipritine and anything else in his way. Much like their encounter with the Ivory Wizard, cooperation and strategy would be needed to win this fight--and it  _ would  _ be a fight.

She’d expected the asari and salarian councilors to hum and be resistant, but thought Hackett would agree to preemptive maneuvers. His overstated “need for caution” was infuriating, mildly put. Even Sparatus, the merian councilor, seemed to believe she was overreacting. 

“Cipritine and its people were bred for battle,” he’d stated in a deathly calm tone. “The city itself was built as a fortress and is well defended, should the need arise. Reports of sea monsters--nowhere near Cipritine, at that--being controlled by a… I’m sorry did you say a ghost, or an apparition? Regardless, aren’t cause for concern or immediate battle formations.” He crooked his fingers into air quotes on the last words. 

Garrus had lost it at that comment and told Sparatus exactly  _ where  _ he could stuff his ‘concerns.’ A heated subvocal exchange had followed with both merians barring their teeth until the asari councilor had intervened and magnanimously offered up  _ two  _ ships to accompany the Normandy to Cipritine. 

“Better than nothing?” Joker commented as Jane stood with arms folded across her chest and a permanent scowl painted over her face. 

Jane sighed and glanced over her shoulder to where the  _ Cairo  _ and  _ Trafalgar  _ were trailing in the  _ Normandy’s _ wake. “I suppose you’re right,” she said without looking at Joker. “Still, you’d think what I had to say would have a little more credibility with the Council after the Ivory Wizard.”

Joker snorted. “Politicians are all the same. They’ll ignore you until all hell breaks loose on their doorstep. Then, they’ll put you in charge of cleaning up the mess.”

“Too true,” Jane agreed. 

“JEFF! DROP ANCHOR!”

“I know, Edi!” Joker glared at the Albatross.

“Edi? You named her?”

Joker shrugged. “She’s obviously not going anywhere and I spend more time with her than anyone else on this ship.” He glanced over at Jane. “She kinda reminds me of my little cousin, Ediline. Always screeching and stating the obvious. So, yeah, Edi.”

“Well, Edi’s right,” Jane said, turning to hide a smirk. “Drop anchor, Joker. We’re here.”

Joker grumbled something, but gradually, she felt the Normandy slow as the anchor was dropped at Cipritine’s designated water-dock. The ‘dock’ was a gargantuan steel pole on the outskirts of the merian capital. Arriving ships were permitted to drop anchor, which awaiting merian dock-workers would then hook around the pole so that the ship might remain tethered against strong currents and wind. 

Jane listened to the metallic jangle of the line as it sank beneath the waves. The Citadel Council had proven all but useless, so now any hope of an offensive lay with Primarch Victus. The merians had the most to lose in this instance, and Jane was optimistic that the response would be better than from those on land. 

“Vega!” she called out. “Williams! Drink up, we’re going under.”

A duel  _ “ay ay!”  _ answered the order and soon, she, James, and Ashley were swimming alongside a merian escort into the heart of Cipritine. 

Captain Kryik was back from patrolling the Citadel, and Garrus had swum ahead to meet with him. Whatever the Primarch chose to do, it seemed that a majority of the merian forces were in favor of not being caught off-guard. 

Sooner than anticipated, they and their escort came face to face with Primarch Victus. And he wasn’t alone. Flapping his stubby arms and swirling around the merian leader in a wide loop, Chief Din of the volus looked like a furious, round bird.

_ “Tsk.  _ It’s about time!” the small volus declared, floating next to Victus and assuming a posture that radiated impatience. “What is the Council going to do about this mess? _ He _ won’t acknowledge any wrongdoing, so it’s up to others to fix the problem the merians have made!” A sharp glare was leveled at the Primarch. 

“As I’ve stated numerous times now,” Victus said in a tired voice, “the mistakes of my predecessors took place centuries ago. It is not, as you put it,  _ my  _ wrongdoing. We will of course work to find a solution and safeguard ourselves--and others--from Desolas’ displaced aggression.” 

_ “Tsk. _ Aggression?  _ Aggression?  _ Is  _ that,  _ what you’re calling this?” Din shook with unrestrained fury looking like a cork about to explode from a champagne bottle. “This is premeditated annihilation! Once Desolas obliterates Cipritine he’ll attack Irune and the island nations in order!”

“Nobody is going to obliterate Cipritine,” Victus said, turning to scowl down at Din. “We’ll fight to the last merian to defend our city and keep that apparition's crazed machinations in check.” 

_ “Tsk. _ I suppose we’ll see! Where is Captain Vakarian? I want a full report from the Counsel.” Din gave Victus a dismissive wave which the merian leader tactfully ignored.

“We’re here!” Garrus called, swimming around a large marble tower with Nihlus by his side. Out of the corner of her eye Jane saw Ashley fight back a smile. 

“The Counsel isn’t prepared to send the full might of the Citadel fleet without more evidence that Desolas is targeting Cipritine,” Nihlus said in a voice devoid of vocals. He sounded hoarse and Jane could only imagine he’d blown out his second larynx subvocally cursing the Counsel when Garrus had first delivered the news. 

_ “Tsk. _ What? Outrageous!” Din clasped his hands to his fur and scarf wrapped head. “What will we do?” he asked in a small voice. 

“We prepare,” Victus answered. With a sharp tail flick he angled himself to look Garrus in the eye. “Vakarian, Kryik, ready the soldiers. I want the city to be impregnable.”

“Yes, Sir!” both merians replied in unison. 

Turning his amber gaze to Jane, Victus rumbled with consideration as he spoke. “Desolas will move faster below the waves. But should he unleash his terrors, the cannons and harpoon guns aboard your ships will be more effective at stopping them.” He pulled back, preparing to leave. “I’ll send an envoy to guide you, but I want you in position so that  _ when  _ we’re attacked, we can drive the beasts to the surface and you can finish them off.”

Jane nodded in an action mirrored by Ashley and James.  _ The best plan I’ve heard yet,  _ she mused before glancing at her team. They had preparations to make and a long night ahead. 

**********

It was, Garrus believed, a disservice to say all merians were born soldiers. True, the Hierarchy demanded service, but given the isolationism which had persisted for over a century, it was the rare merian who had seen active battle. 

_ And seasoned soldier or no, how do you prepare to battle a ghost?  _ Garrus wondered as he swam through the ranks that now patrolled around Cipritine. He was in charge of the defensive platoons at the forefront of the city while Nihlus was manning the men closer to the interior. All civilians had retreated further back to the more defensible city center. The  _ Normandy  _ and her escort were in position. All to do now was wait. 

Garrus swam the outer environs of the city as a full moon shone far overhead, its milky light shimmering in the waves. He was mentally exhausted from all the calculations and planning, but his body was like a tightly coiled spring and he knew he’d find no rest tonight. 

Hours floated by in the quiet of the sea. The usual songs and voices were muted and notably absent. It put Garrus on edge. The sense that something was coming, from somewhere, maybe soon, continually crept through his mind. Anywhere he looked though, there was nothing but normalcy.

His body had begun to sag with the dim light of dawn. Garrus twirled his trident, his trusty Widow, in his hand as he stared sightlessly at the white sands that stretched away from the city. An expanse of familiar nothingness. 

He squinted. Was the sand… moving? He shook his head. He’d been awake too long. He wondered if he could catch a few hours of sleep before--

The sand on the horizon made a humping motion as it stalked closer. 

Rumbling in uncertainty, Garrus glanced at the nearby sentry who was rubbing his eyes. The other merian hadn’t noticed anything. Garrus flicked out his scared mandible before gripping Widow more tightly and swimming off and over the sandy plains. 

He was either hallucinating, or there was something creeping its way along the seafloor. The sand all looked the same, but as he drew closer to where he’d seen movement, there was a sand dune he couldn’t recall being there before. A  _ big  _ sand dune. 

Swimming over it, Garrus circled like a shark as he considered the new landmark. The dune suddenly shifted. A giant, yellow eye with a malignant, rectangular pupil stared up at him. Acting on pure instinct, Garrus drove Widow down into it with a sickening squelch. There was a thundering roar that rocked the waves before the sand disappeared in an avalanche of chromatophores to reveal a colossal octopus. 

Garrus yanked Widow from the beast's eye and took off at break-neck speed, water trailing after him in ribbons of seething bubbles. A giant tentacle whipped out, barely missing him as loud gongs sounded from the city. The metallic vibrations from the warning gongs that hung in the towers facing the sand plains pulsed in the water, rattling the teeth in Garrus’s skull. 

Garrus managed to reach the rest of the advance guard as the muffled thumps of eight enormous tentacles advanced down on him. 

“Attack!” he screamed, whirling in place and pointing a gore spattered trident outward. “Drive it to the surface!”

After a brief pause where everyone stared agape at the kraken with wide eyes, they sprang to life. They attacked in squads, menacing the limbs of the furious creature. One eye seeped a deep crimson river out into the current where Garrus had blinded it. A plume of black ink exploded outward, clouding the waters as the monster rose off the seabed and fanned out its tentacles to reveal a vicious, snapping beak. 

“The surface!” Garrus yelled, swimming below the enraged monster and jabbing Widow into the shifting, mottled flesh near its beak. “Drive it upward!”

More soldiers poured from the city as the water took on a viscus quality; blood and ink leached out into the waves coloring the water a sinister brown. The monster slowly,  _ so slowly,  _ climbed higher in the water. Several tentacles squeezed captured soldiers, flinging them around like flimsy rag dolls as their compatriots struggled to free them. 

They were close now. The  _ Normandy’s  _ shadow passed overhead as she positioned herself. Further back, the  _ Cairo  _ and  _ Trafalgar  _ were angling to give their cannons a clear shot.  _ Almost there, just a little higher… _

The cold was as sudden as it was intense; a spear of ice rammed through his gut that stole his breath and left him gasping. Struggling to regain his bearings, Garrus wondered what the hell had happened when a deep, mournful voice crept into his consciousness. 

_ “There’s enemies on the inside, _ ” the voice warned. 

Garrus spun around in search of its source before realizing he was hearing it not as the spoken vibrations of speech, but as a telepathic message. 

_ “There are traitors within,” _ the voice lamented.  _ “We must wipe the slate clean.” _

“No!” Garrus yelled aloud. A few soldiers glanced at him but the writhing kraken now breaking the surface took their attention. 

_ “Cipritine is foul with treason.” _ A blurry shape on the edge of his vision shimmered in the churning water. Even squinting, the figure never became solid; it wavered and refracted, the image of a merian with ivory plates and long, lateral fringes.  _ “The Primarch has deceived us,” _ the ghost warned. _ “Nothing is as it should be.” _

“That was centuries ago!” Garrus entreated, swimming toward the apparition which never appeared to get any closer. “There’s a new Primarch, we’re at peace, there’s no--”

The deafening boom of cannon fire drowned out his words. Garrus snapped his head up to where the ships were converging on the kraken, round after round of thundering shots shaking the sea and air. The kraken made a shuddering groan. Offal and gore floated downward in a horrifying corpse rain that made Garrus gag. 

_ “Beware. It’s only the beginning…” _

When Garrus turned back to where the specter had hung, the sea was empty once more. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hello on Tumblr and Twitter! @wafflesrock16
> 
> Endless thanks to S0me_Writer for beta reading this story.


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